Why should a follower of Christ anticipate answers to prayer?

So, Harold and I received an answer to one of our prayers this past Friday.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently went to select a new teaching position due to the loss of my current position. I was second to last on a list of nearly 30 other displaced employees within the county.

What I hadn't mentioned was that prior to attending this selection process (known as "The Pool"), my principal had informed me that he was 99% certain there would be a first grade teaching position opening up at my current school for next year. I told him that I would definitely like to be considered.

The opportunity to continue teaching at my current school was far more appealing than the alternative, which was to acclimate to a new grade level and a new work environment with new routines and new people. Not only would it be new, but, apparently, it would be rough.

The school I ended up selecting, unbeknownst to me, was a rather rough school. And as I delivered the news of my uninformed selection in passing to other teachers, their facial expressions couldn't help but confirm this reality. Even my assistant Principal's reaction had a hint of distress. Based on these questionable reactions, I felt like I had made a huge mistake!

Needless to say, Harold and I quickly and consistently began to pray about this matter. We prayed that God would graciously grant me the opportunity to remain at my current school. In response to our prayers, our good and faithful God delivered a favorable answer! My principal informed me on Friday that the first grade position had officially become available and he offered it to me! Praise the Lord!! I am beyond grateful for His provision in this matter. 

And yet, I find that it is far easier to trust that God answers prayers after the fact.  Once He has changed the status of our request from pending to approved, we suddenly have all the confidence in the world in God! At least, I do. Admittedly, on the night preceding the good news of my answered prayer request, I was lacking that level of confidence. I had been scrolling through Facebook and I happened upon the status of a college acquaintance who was praising God for answering a prayer request of her own: After having a not-so-pleasant teaching experience at one particular school--which made her call into question her desire to be a teacher altogether--she had now been offered a full-time Kindergarten position at a school that she loved!

Although I was genuinely happy to see that God had been faithful to answer her request for a teaching position, for some reason, in that moment, I felt less inclined to believe God would grant me with the same answer. This led me to ask myself: Do I anticipate that God will actually answer my prayer requests? Because it's one thing to believe He is simply capable of answering our prayers, but it's another thing to trust, embrace and sincerely anticipate answers to our prayers.

So let's consider this question together: Why should a follower of Christ anticipate answers to prayer?

First of all, Jesus tells us to do just that in Mark 11:24!

"Therefore, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Believe that you have received! In just 5 words, we are given the green light to start anticipating answers to our prayer requests! Bearing in mind that God's ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts (meaning his version of an answer to prayer might vary from our own), we can, indeed, anticipate God to answer our prayers, according to His perfect ways.

There are a couple of key verses from the Psalms that also encourage us to anticipate answers to our prayers:

Psalm 66:19-20-"But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!"

Psalm 69:13-"But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness."

The Psalmist acknowledges that the timing for any answer to prayer remains in God's capable, all-knowing hands--yet, there will be an answer nonetheless! Praise God!

Perhaps you are like me, in that you often struggle to anticipate--sincerely and wholeheartedly--an answer to your own prayer requests (let alone, a good answer!). May we learn to trust that God is good, and he answers our prayer requests according to His abundant goodness. I challenge you to consider a prayer request of your own that is currently pending. Meditate on the words of Jesus in Mark 11:24, and start to wait with eager anticipation for an answer to that prayer--with minds set above.